Menu holder



E. B. AITKENS June 7, 1960 MENU HOLDER Filed Oct. 7, 1954 FIG IWENTCBR EDWARD a. mms

ATTORNEYS United. States Patent "lice HOLDER Filed Oct. 7, uses. No. 460,954 3 Claims. 01. 248-21 This invention has to do with devices for use on restaurant counters for thepurpose of acting; as a locater and guard for salt and pepper shakers, sugar containers,

napkin'holders and the like, and for holding menu cards or folders.

An object of the invention is toprovide a novel, simple and improved device for attachment to the rear edge of menu-card-holding portion which-is so iconstructed that 1.

menu cards or folders can be easily inserted from'either end or from the top and can be readily removed. In this connection, so far as I know, present devices do not have continuous walls and usually employ a spring clip to hold .menu cards.

Consequently, it is diflicult to insert the cards, and, if supplemental sheets are attached, these are apt to be detached or torn.

Another object is to provide a menu card holding device which loosely holds menu cards or sheets in such a manner that the cards tend to remain upright even if they are extremely flexible and prone to bending.

A further object is to provide an attractive device which is easy to install and is formed so as not to present portions upon whicha persons clothing might be caught or a person injured.

A still further object is to provide a simple menu holding device capable of beingmade in one piece which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

These and other objects will be apparent from the drawing and the following description. Referring to the drawing:

Fig. l is a front elevational view of a device embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 2A is an enlarged sectional view on line 2A2A of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a blank of material from which the article can be made; and

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing a modified form of the invention.

More particularly describing the invention, the menu holding device, generally indicated by numeral 11, is shown in the position it would occupy as attached to the rear edge of a restaurant counter or the like, designated 12. The device includes an upright forward wall 14 and an upright rear wall'lS. These walls are generally parallel and are spaced a short distance apart. At their lower edges the walls are connected by a base wall 17 which, in the normal position of the device, is horizontal and may rest directly upon the upper surface of the counter 12. Assuming the device is made of metal, I cut from the rear wall a tongue plate 20 which is bent down to depend below the base wall 17. The plate is pro- 2,39,660 Patented June 7, 1960 vided with two or more apertures 21 to receive fastening elements, such as the screws 22 shown in Fig. 2, for the purpose of securing the device to the rear edge of the restaurant counter. I

I preferably form the rear wall 15 to be somewhat higher than the front wall 14 to facilitate the placement of menu cards or folders in the space between the walls by a person sitting at the counter in front of the device. To assist in holding menu cards between the walls 14 and 15, I provide extensions 24 on the rear wall each of which has a forwardly extending tab 25 and a rearwardly extending tab 26 at each end of the front wall.

The tabs may be welded or otherwise secured together in overlapping relation as shown. I

Also, I prefer to form the forward wall somewhat longer than therear wall and with forwardly curved end portions 14, since-in the normal use of the device the forward wall 14 acts as a guard wall for positioning and holding conventional restaurant counter articles, such as salt and pepper shakers, sugar containers and the like. To prevent injury to persons and to minimize the possibility of a persons clothing catching upon the device, I prefer to round, the upper edges of both the forward and rear walls, as best shown in Fig. 1, the rounded portions'being indicated by numerals 28 and 29'. The gently rounded portions 26 of the forwardwalls also facilitate easyins'e'rtion of the menu cards; Also, the end portions 14 of the forward wall are undercut at'30 to provide clearance with the counter. I

It is a particular feature of the invention that the device is designed to hold thin sheets or extremely flexible sheets upright even though the sheets may extend considerably above the upper edges of the front and rear walls. This is accomplished by curving the central portions 15' of the rear wall rearwardly, that is so that it is convex on its outer surface and concave on its inner surface. In the center portion of the front wall I form an elongated indentation 17 as best shown in Figs. 1 and 2A. When a sheet of paper is placed in the device the indented portion 17 of the front wall, which forms an inclined surface within the device slanting down toward the rear wall, guides the lower edge of the paper to the rear against the rear wall with the result that the paper takes on the curvature of the rear wall and thus is stiffened against bending. The ends 15" of the rear wall are shown curved rearwardly or flared to the rear somewhat to make it easy to insert menu cards and the like from the ends.

In Fig. 6, I show a modified form of the invention wherein the rear wall 15a is formed to provide two tongues or tabs 31 which are cut from the rear wall and bent downwardly. These may be inserted in suitable brackets 32 having sockets 33 for the reception of the tongues, the brackets being affixed to the rear edge of the counter 12a.

Also, in this form of the invention, I show end walls 35 as upturned continuations of the base wall portion 17a. These take the place of the end walls formed by the tabs 25 and 26 of the form of the invention previously described.

Although I have shown and described preferred forms of the invention I contemplate that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the invention, the scope of which is indicated by the claims which follow.

It will be apparent that the forms of the invention disclosed have the advantages indicated by the foregoing objects. In this connection it may be pointed outthat the continuous front and rear .walls, which cooperate to provide a menu card-receiving space, make it possible device an upright rear wall spaced laterally from said front wall, said forward and rear walls each being of substantial area and each extending to a substantialfheight, a

base wall connecting said forward, and rear walls at their lower edges, relatively low upright end walls adjacent the ends of said base wall extending from said front rear walls, said walls defining an open-topped receptacle, and a tongue plate cut from the lower'central portion of said rear wall and bent to depend below said base wall for attachment to the rear edge of a counter or the like.

2. A menu card holder, comprising an upright forward wall of substantial area, an upright rear wall of substantial area spaced laterally of said forward wall a distance substantially greater than the thickness of a menu card to be inserted between the walls, a base wall connecting said forward andrear walls, and means forming a rearwardly-inclined menu card abutment surface in the central portion of the holder extending from the front wall at a region adjacent and above said base wall downwardly and rearwardly to said base wallsaid rear wall having a central portion opposite said menu card abutment surface curved about a vertical axis with its forward surface concave, said menu card abutment surface and said central portion of said rear wall acting to cause a menu card; when inserted in said holder, to be curved about a vertical axis thereby stiffening said card gains e ding i r a ly or ear rdly at the. holder 3. A menu card holder, comprising upright front wall means providing a central menu card support area having a rearwardly inclined lower portion, and a pair of lateral menu card support areas spaced one on each side of said central area, upright rear wall means spaced rearwardly of said front wall means and providing a central support area opposite the, central support area of said front wall means and a lateral support area opposite each lateral support area ofi said; tinont; means, said lateral support areas of said front wall means beingin a common planeand said lateral zsupport areas of" said rear wall means being substantially in a common plane, said central support area; ofsaidrean wallmeansibeing disposed rearwardly of said lateral support areas of said rear wall means, and a bottom 'wall' means connecting said front and rear wall means.

References. Cited in. the file of, this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

